Others
by Suffering Angel
Summary: Face the Mirror, Face your Friend, and when it is all said and done, Face Yourself. KH2, pre-final battle.


Warnings: Blatant SoRiku interaction that _could_ be taken to a romantic aspect. Up to you.

Spoilers: This is set at about the time you reach the last save point, thus making this liable to spoil anything save for the final battle and the ending scenes. Consider yourselves warned.

* * *

_**Others**_

He never was one for names. He took them as they came and did his very best to recall the right ones when faced with a time, a place, a face.

A Memory.

They had their names given to them by Past Selves, names which were altered and changed, twisted like the Hearts they no longer had. From a greater whole they came and to the Darkness they returned, beings clinging to the dull feeling left in their chests where once were their Hearts. All because of

A Memory.

He remembered those that came by him and a few which haunted his dreams, each and every one of them wanting nothing more than to simply _be_.

His own counterpart was no exception – left behind by a Heart plunging into Darkness, forced to pull away from Memories not his own… his whole world created and destroyed by others, over and over again… and again… and again.

The boy clutched his aching chest, eyes set on the emblem above the only Tombstone still glowing blue.

Not a name – only a number and a title above an image of the Oblivion and the Oathkeeper.

Number XIII – The Key of Destiny.

Himself… his own, other self… now, not even the shadow he once was, and yet

A Memory

Was so much more.

Proof of Existence…

Sora never was one for names, but… he could relate to that one. At the very least… a part of him could. The rest…

The rest wanted to. Real badly.

_ You make a good Other_

–

"…oy." The familiar voice echoing through the morbid room made blue eyes snap open and dart around in search of the source. To his left, on the platform above the entrance were the Knight, the Magician, the King and the Princess, all slumbering away in an odd pile of sorts. He smiled softly, letting relief wash over him; they were all there, and for the most part – well.

One less thing to worry about, he reckoned and turned to search for the source of the voice again, for not only did it belong to one not amongst those lying yonder – it also simply didn't _come_ from there.

No.

Instead, it came from the other side of the room, from the small platform behind the Freeshooter's would-be grave.

That familiar, sought-after voice, belonging to his one true best friend after whom he had chased for a period of time lengthing close to two years of their short lives. Even in his dreams he chased him, called out to him, reached for him… only to grasp at air. But now? Now, there he was, in the flesh… close, present, _real_… and nothing would ever come between them again. Nothing.

He won't let it.

His footsteps echoed through the silent space as his shoes met the metallic floor again and again on his way up ahead. He came to a stop in front of the Tombstone, and then turned to his left.

"Aaaah, I'm beat!" He declared rather pointlessly as he plopped down next to his friend, legs spread in front of him, arms folded behind his head as a makeshift pillow.

"Then don't stand for hours in front of his Memorial like that, silly." The other replied with an amused smile gracing his features. The younger one of the two shifted a bit uncomfortably, turning to glance down the plots at the blue one. His eyes slid half closed then, a small frown tugging at his features.

"That's… the only way I can feel like… like I'm facing him…" Sora replied, his hand moving to clench his chest. It was stopped halfway though as the other took hold of it in his own hand instead. The boy blinked at him in confusion.

"…Riku?"

The silver haired teen sighed, squeezing that hand before letting it go. "You don't need that to face him."

"…I don't?" Sora asked with a blink, not quite following. Riku offered in response a hesitant smile, eyes closing as he leaned back to press his head against the wall.

"All you need is a mirror."

–

"You… really _have_ grown stronger, you know…" Riku offered after a long moment of silence in which the brunette let his eyes at times wonder, at times close. He was halfway to snoozing when Riku's voice registered, making him blink sleepily before turning to face him.

"…really?" Sora chirped, feeling his cheeks redden lightly as a tiny grin rose to his lips. It took Riku a long moment to answer as he took in the other's reaction.

"Yeah… you have."

Sora snickered in response, genuinely flattered. "It sure is rare for you to praise me." He snickered with a touch of suspicion to his voice, making Riku laugh softly in return.

"Heh… it is, I guess…" He offered with a small smirk before his expression softened. "You earned it, though" He said, no traces of laughter left in his voice. "Those last few battles… not sure I could've won them." Riku explained softly, not surprised that Sora's response was stalling.

When the silence went on longer yet, though, he turned to look questioningly at the brunette, only to receive a thwap on the head.

"Don't make me hurt you worse." Sora warned and shook his head, and annoyed look on his face. "Of course you'd have won, you're Riku! Could've taken them all on with one hand tied behind your back!"

Riku reached to rub the slightly sore spot before shaking his head. "That _would_ have made it _quicker_… not sure about less painful though." The image of one Lunar Diviner in particular came to mind.

"You're underestimating yourself." Sora decided as he crossed his arms and leaned back against the cold metallic wall. Riku gave him a short fond glance before closing his eyes.

"I know exactly what I'm worth."

"Then you're overestimating _me_." Sora retorted almost instantly, making Riku snort.

"Who was it who _just_ said it was rare for me to compliment him?"

"A one time slip. Don't let it happen again."

This brought matching smiles to their lips as they exchanged a quick glance. Sora's smile grew wider for a moment before it was colored by sadness, making him turn away to gaze over the pile of limbs in the other side of the room.

"But… it's not like… I fought all the way here alone…"

"You did against Luxord. And Xemnas." Riku reminded softly, his eyes set on the Tombstone bearing the title The Gambler of Fate.

"I got lucky against Luxord." Sora attempted, only to find Riku staring intently at him.

"And Xemnas…?"

There was silence.

Riku had to sigh, not quite certain how to proceed in light of Sora's discomfort. "You can't tell me that doesn't count."

Sora turned away, letting his hair fall over his eyes. "I _had_ to beat them."

"You still did" Riku attempted softly, carefully studying Sora's every reaction. "You beat each and every one of them."

"…and it's still not over yet."

Riku pursed his lips prior to answering.

"Not quite, yes… but soon. We'll end it soon enough. We're strong enough for that."

Sora glanced once at him before returning his gaze to stare at the pile of limbs not too far away from them. "End it, huh..." He hummed before snickering awkwardly.

If one actually took the time to ask the Keyblade Master for his opinion, they would be told that it was all rather ironic. The very same strength which now let him fight on… wasn't that what got him into the mess in the first place? Him... and everyone else there...

Riku followed Sora's gaze for a short instant before taking a moment to study his friend's expression. He'd never seen him so tired before – ever. And the most horrible truth of all was that the same people for whom he was fighting now – were the same people over whom he was hurting the most.

Riku, for instance.

They really didn't deserve him. None of them.

"Sora…" Riku began gently, not really expecting Sora to turn to him. He found himself oddly relieved when indeed his friend hadn't budged an inch. The question he had to ask was hard enough to voice without Sora looking back at him.

"Do you regret it?" he asked, not quiet surprised to be rewarded with a bitter chuckle.

"Regret _what_, Riku?" There was… too much to regret, they both knew, and Riku also knew he was being unfair – unlike Sora, he was stalling.

He took a deep breath, knowing that now that he said this much - he couldn't possibly take it back. Might as well get the rest of it out.

"Becoming strong."

They had their eyes locked for a long minute before Sora closed his, making Riku purse his lips. The silence that followed gave him the opportunity to think about what kind of an answer he was expecting, that is – had it stretched out longer. Instead, Sora had an answer for him, one which he seemed to have pondered over quite a bit. Riku honestly couldn't blame him despite the pang in his chest at hearing what it was.

"Only the strong… can protect what they care for."

"Then who protects the strong?" Riku heard himself ask, and soon enough had those blue eyes set back on him, narrowed as though in an amused way. It tore his Heart to pieces, looking back.

A year. A single, short year had passed… and the boy with the once chubby face and the sparkling eyes seemed as though he had lived through decades. It was Heart-breaking, nothing less than that – to see that once childish, carefree, innocent grin now used as nothing more than a mask.

"No one." Sora replied with a pretense of a shrug, tone holding a touch of disbelief at him having to voice something so painfully obvious. "Isn't that what being strong is… all about?"

"That's too sad and lonely a saying to be coming from you." Riku remarked, staring intently at the back of Sora's head, seeing how he turned away yet again.

"What… did you _want_ to hear then?" Sora asked, making Riku sigh.

"Just what I got, I guess…"

"That being…?" Sora asked, glancing at Riku from the corner of his eye. Riku leaned back, eyes set up on the ceiling.

"An answer… your very own. Am I wrong?"

Sora pulled his legs up to his chest, arms wrapping around them.

"…Sora?" Riku asked, not quite able to clearly see Sora's eyes.

"I… don't know anymore… what's mine and what… what's not…"

Riku couldn't blame him. After everything Sora's been through… the things he'd seen, the things he _sacrificed_… just to make it this far… and not once did Sora let himself be truly selfish – kind of hard to believe he did it for his two friends when saving them also meant saving the universe…

But… didn't that leave a question hanging? Once all was said and done… once all the boy's sacrifices bore fruit and everyone everywhere were safe…

What did Sora have left to call his very own?

…well… if that wasn't actually a very easy one to answer, Riku realized then and reached to grab Sora's shoulder, taking advantage of the momentary disorientation the action caused in order to pull Sora back against him. It was with a yelp that Sora was pulled, arms flailing as he suddenly found himself half sprawled over Riku. Seeing how he was half turned in the process, he was now sitting against Riku, half lying against him seeing how Riku's hand was buried in his hair, keeping Sora's face pressed against Riku's chest. The brunette was _about_ to protest, but-

"Keep it down, you'll wake them up."

Sora's lips pursed and he shifted uncomfortably against Riku, making the other snicker.

"What? Oh come on, I had my shots. You act like we never hugged before."

Sora whimpered back and settled down, shifting until he was comfortable against Riku. The older teen smiled, gently ruffling the mane of brown spikes. That earned him a momentary pout before blue eyes turned to look up at him questioningly, even a bit in confusion.

"…what?" Riku asked, blinking back down at him.

"Nothing, it's just…" Sora began before lowering his look in embarrassment. "I just can't really get you right now." He admitted and pulled closer still, eyes sliding half shut. Riku took a moment to ponder over the boy's declaration before smiling to himself, eyes closed. Well… he couldn't quite 'get' himself at times, either… but it was alright, wasn't it? After all… it was the same for the both of them…

"Comfortable?" Riku asked with a tiny snicker as Sora seemed rather reluctant to shift anymore and he absently tightened his hold over his friend's thin frame.

"…you're warm." Sora offered softly, making Riku smile down at the mop of brown spikes. A thought ran through his mind though and he had to wonder how long it has been since the last time the boy enjoyed even something as simple as a comfortable surface to lean on… let alone a shoulder on which to rest his head.

That… which was Sora's… all the things given to a person before even birth and were so familiar and taken for granted to them in the past… to the boy tilting on the border between sleep and awareness in his arms - he wanted to give it all back. Everything ever lost, everything ever taken…

Everything he stole with his own two hands.

Movement over his chest made him blink then, stirring him out of his train of thought and forcing to look down. He found Sora staring blankly ahead through half lidded eyes. He seemed to be listening to something; Riku let out an awkward sigh.

"…hey." He called out softly, face lowered into the mass of brown just as Sora attempted to look up at him. "There's… something I want you to know." He hummed softly, making Sora shift again against him. He could clearly imagine the boy's confused look, a tiny touch of worry in his eyes, as though Riku would say something and then disappear again.

It was to be expected… he _had_ kept away from him whenever he could…

Only this time was different.

"What is it?" Sora asked, voice steady, a tad cheerful even. Riku hissed at the mere thought of how much effort was put into that one single question which made him pull the boy closer against him.

"You know, I'm… not as weak as you might think."

The reaction, albeit expected, came even faster than he dared imagine possible. He could allow no room for interruptions, however.

"I never thou-"

"Sit still and be quiet for a minute." Riku hissed, eyes shut as he felt the slim body against him tense. There was no way around it though, he knew – having known the boy for as long as he knew himself. He had something to say – and he'd say it whether Sora liked it or not.

"This past year, I fought… even more than you have. I won't pretend I didn't screw up or that I stopped being an idiot, but…" He took a deep breath in, letting a small smile tug at his lips. "I actually got… pretty strong too. And I've also…" His voice dropped to a whisper, his words too embarrassing to be heard… save for by the one person closest to him.

"…people I want to protect."

Sora's eyes widened as he felt Riku's arms tighten around him, keeping him safely in place. He dared not move, he _couldn't_ move, his Heart pounding in his chest so strongly he could swear that was all he could hear… echoing in his ear…

…e… cho…?

Eyes shut tightly, Sora curled up over Riku, his hand tightly gripping onto the other's shirt. The older teen blinked down in surprise, slight panic taking over. It was mixed soon enough with confusion as Sora moved along with him, leaning further against him when Riku tried to pull back.

"Sora…?"

"It's…" Sora tried, only to be cut off by a hiccup. "It's beating…" He whispered, pulling unbelievably close as though to not miss a single sound.

The breath hitched in Riku's throat as whatever it was he tried to say died out before leaving his lips. He could only stare down at Sora in disbelief, the realization of what he was talking about slowly sinking in.

One of the most trivial, mundane things, the one thing all living things took for granted… the one thing no one gave a second thought to…

The same thing the boy fought so hard to preserve.

Of course Sora would care, Riku reckoned, a warm, affectionate if somewhat amused smile spreading over his lips as he buried his face further in Sora's hair.

How very Sora of him.

"It is." Came the simple reply which only made Sora curl up further, shoulders shivering slightly.

"…again."

"It does that."

"It's… not stopping…"

Riku paused for a moment, rolling the statement in his mind for a long while. _Ah_, he reckoned then, sighing into Sora's hair; that wasn't a statement at all, was it? Since for them… it wasn't such an obvious fact of life as it should've been.

"No." Riku answered in a soft voice, shifting under Sora to provide the other with a more comfortable resting place. "And it won't any time soon, either. Because, you see, Sora, if I'm gone…" He glanced once at the pile across the room, knowing then that what he was about to say would be pretentious, self-centered, and arrogant.

He also knew above all else though – there was an undeniable truth to it that made him resent himself oh so much more.

"…who's going to protect _you_?"

The sound of resolve breaking was almost audible as thin arms tightened around built waists, fingers entangling in the fabric of Riku's vest almost tightly enough to tear it. "Riku…"

The older teen was taken aback by the act, more so from the need in both action and voice than from the act itself. Soon enough he managed to smile, though, arms tightening around the slim form pressing against him.

"I'm here, Sora" He cooed reassuringly, rubbing circles over Sora's back. "I'm here."

"Re… really?"

Riku had to purse his lips as he heard the snivels and hiccups and muffled sobs increase, but knew better than to try and calm the other down. He needed to get it out sooner or later… might as well let it be now.

"Yes."

"Wi… will you s-stay-y?"

"Yes."

"Prom… ise?" Sora barely managed to conjure, too busy fighting for breath to speak.

Riku hardly minded, the smile refusing to leave his lips. Sora accepted him… needed him… _had_ him. Riku didn't need anything more.

"As long as my Heart's still beating."

A small, content smile danced over pale lips not too far away from the two. He was worried at first, but seeing the most recent turn of events, he knew he could let them be, at least for a while. After all, becoming truly strong also meant you knew when you could be weak.

Though it irritated him to no greater ends it was Riku who taught him that… Sora still learned.

And that meant Roxas had very little to worry about as he turned away and disappeared into his own Tombstone.

_ You really do… make a good Other _


End file.
